Baine Bloodhoof
|Row 4 title = Relatives: |Row 4 info = Elder Bloodhoof (Ancestor) Cairne Bloodhoof (Father) Tamaala (Mother) |Row 5 title = Status: |Row 5 info = }}High Chieftain Baine Bloodhoof is the son of the late tauren leader, Cairne Bloodhoof whom he looked up to as a role model. While Baine has formidable skill on the battlefield, his true talents lie in the arena of diplomacy. He is a strong force for moderation, calm wisdom, and unity within the Horde, especially in their dealings with the Alliance. Following Cairne’s death in a duel with Warchief Garrosh Hellscream, Baine fled his home in Bloodhoof Village when the Tauren matriarch Magatha Grimtotem's agents attacked the village and seized Thunder Bluff. Although still pained by the loss of his father, Baine staged a counterattack on Magatha and her forces, ultimately retaking the Tauren capital and defeating the treacherous matriarch. Cairne’s honorable son spared Magatha's life, banishing the matriarch and her traitorous allies to the harsh Stonetalon Mountains. Since then Baine has assumed the role of the High Chieftain of Mulgore's courageous Tauren. While bitterness might still linger over Cairne's demise, Baine had remained loyal to the Horde and its Warchief for the good of the Tauren race. More recently, he supported the Darkspear Rebellion in ousting the Warchief, and eventually pledged his support to Garrosh's successor, Vol'jin. With Vol'jin's passing shortly after the disastrous Battle for Broken Shore, Baine has remained loyal to Sylvanas Windrunner and was present when Vol'jin named her the Warchief with his dying breath. Caught Baine fought alongside his father with pride and respect and continued to defend his people when they established a home for themselves in Mulgore. However, in an attack by the centaur on their village, Baine was taken captive and taken back to their camp. He managed to stay alive, but he began to lose hope when all his fellow captives were killed one by one until he was the only one left. The Tauren Tagar told Rexxar to find him and bring him back. So, Baine was rescued by Rexxar, and they battled their way together through hordes of centaur until they finally made it back to Cairne, who was overjoyed to see his son alive. After he was brought back with the help of Bovan Windtotem, Cairne Bloodhoof decided to join Rexxar's party. World of Warcraft At Bloodhoof Village, Baine Bloodhoof led an investigation into Venture Company operations to the east and a campaign against the Palemane gnolls to the west. With his father growing older, Baine took a greater role in the leadership of the Tauren with each passing year. Baine attempted to warn the Dwarvern miners of Bael'dun Digsite that their violent mining methods were hurting the spirits of the Earth and even attempted to scare them off by sending Adventurers to break their tools. However, the dwarves did not listen and continued using explosives on the earth. In Cataclysm Baine was shown to be right as the enraged Spirits of the Earth rose from the ground and killed all the dwarves at the dig site. Stormrage By the time of the defeat of the Lich King, Baine had become a major leader of the Tauren. When the Emerald Nightmare began to slowly claim all of the denizens of Thunder Bluff, he helped guide his people in their resistance, if however futile. The Nightmare effected some of this Tauren, among them a friend of Baine called Gam who had his vision changed by the Nightmare so that Baine got the appearance of Centaur. Gam attacked Baine who in the end had to drove a spear through Gam's chest and let him fall off a bridge to his death. Later, when Malfurion Stormrage called for the warriors of Azeroth to battle against the Nightmare, Baine was one of the many to answer. Once within the Emerald Dream, Baine once again showed his aptitude for leadership. When the Horde expressed agitation about Malfurion giving leadership to Varian Wrynn for the battle, Baine was the first to stand by his side, alleviating all tension and showing that this conflict was above their petty differences. Although they fought a seemingly hopeless battle, the united forces of Azeroth eventually claimed victory, and Baine was able to return to his people to help repair the damage. Elemental Unrest During the Elemental Unrest, Baine aided in the defense of Thunder Bluff by combating the water and wind elementals that appeared on the Spirit Rise. Ascension on the Eve of the Shattering As the war in Northrend carried on, Baine led his people in Cairne's place whenever his father was absent, such as Cairne's journey to Warsong Hold. Baine is shown to be an effective and beloved leader, a worthy successor to his father. Cairne is killed by Grimtotem treachery during a duel with the new Warchief, Garrosh Hellscream, in the arena in Orgrimmar. Upon his death, Magatha Grimtotem, Cairne's sworn rival, orders her tribe to take over Mulgore and kill everyone in it and sends assassins to Bloodhoof Village to kill Baine, who remained unaware of what happened in Orgrimmar. However, Baine is tipped off by a Grimtotem defector, the shaman Stormsong who was supposed to lead the group attacking Bloodhoof Village and managed to escape under the cover of a Kodo stampede, sending messengers to other villages warning them of the Grimtotems' treachery. They then make their escape to Camp Taurajo, where they join Hamuul Runetotem who had also managed to escape an attempt on his life. Eager to avenge his father and reclaim Thunder Bluff, Baine asks his father's old friend and adviser on how to fight Magatha. Hamuul informs the young chieftain that their potential allies are few, with Garrosh's allegiances unclear, the Forsaken being unable to help (as orcs loyal to Garrosh patrol the Undercity thanks to past events), the blood elves being too far away, and the Darkspear trolls being too few. Realizing he could not call upon friends, Baine decides to ask aid from an honorable enemy: Jaina Proudmoore. While there, Baine unexpectedly meets Prince Anduin Wrynn, heir to the throne of Stormwind; after an initial uneasiness, Baine warms to the young man, so unlike his warrior father, King Varian. His sadness and churning emotions at all that has transpired cause great empathy in Anduin; in an act of friendship, he gave Baine the great hammer Fearbreaker, an ancient Bronzebeard heirloom given to him by King Magni Bronzebeard. The weapon "likes" Baine and steadies him with the Light that it wields, and he promises to treasure it always. Jaina is moved by this gesture and agrees to provide Baine monetary support in his efforts to bring down Magatha and the Grimtotems. Being born a Grimtotem, Stormsong's black pelt makes him the perfect (and really, the only one available) undercover agent, and so travels to Ratchet to purchase the aid of its leader, Gazlowe, with untraceable Theramore gold. The goblin engineer - who had always liked "the old bull", as he has called Cairne - agreed to assist Baine in his quest, providing zeppelins, explosives, and other supplies. While those Tauren that are available to join Baine's forces and volunteers from throughout the Horde are eager to help, the Theramore gold also hired the technical and martial skill of mercenaries. With the materials and manpower he needs, Baine leads a surprise attack on Thunder Bluff, under the cover of a false storm provided by Stormsong's shamanic powers. Baine succeeds in defeating Magatha, sparing her life when she agrees to yield (although he would have been quite happy to end her had she not). Allowing those Grimtotems who would follow him to remain, Baine exiles Magatha and her loyalists. Baine confronts Garrosh in Thousand Needles, bluntly accusing him of willfully participating in Magatha's treachery. Garrosh insists that he was unaware of the trickery until it was too late, and expects that Baine will also challenge him. Baine refuses, believing that Cairne's challenge was intended to unite the Horde and another challenge would divide it further, and begrudgingly considers the matter settled. Though he is still angry at Garrosh for his part in his father's death (after all, Garrosh had upped the ante by making the Mak'gora a duel to the death), Baine acknowledges him as his Warchief, to which Garrosh, admiring the new High Chieftain, pledges the loyalty of the Horde to the new leader of the Tauren. He attended the funeral of Cairne in Mulgore and was one of the last that spoke with Thrall and Aggra before they departed for Ratchet. Baine promised him to have Doomhammer's Plate delivered to Orgrimmar. As Our Fathers Before Us In the wake of Baine's ascension to the High Chieftain of the Tauren, his formerly icy relationship with Warchief Garrosh Hellscream has become even more strained. Baine had willingly chosen not to pursue vengeance against Garrosh for the death of Cairne Bloodhoof in favor of a united Horde leadership. Baine knew that the Horde needed a strong guiding figure if it was to survive, and Garrosh could give his people inspiration. Baine meets with Garrosh and Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem in Thunder Bluff, and the young chieftain is frustrated to learn of Garrosh's increasingly numerous demands from the mighty Tauren people. One such demand is access to Mulgore's pristine and pure water supplies since the Horde's new goblin allies had tainted much of the water adjacent to Orgrimmar with their industrious projects in Azshara. Baine is apprehensive to grant Garrosh this request, and Hamuul even more so, though after a heated exchange he agrees to the demand - if a Tauren representative is sent to watch over the goblins' operations from this point forward. Garrosh accepts the compromise and angrily leaves the meeting after reiterating his duties to keep the Horde's people safe to the onlooking Tauren. In a discussion with Hamuul, Baine expresses optimism that Garrosh will either learn to overcome his recklessness in time or that it will certainly be the death of him. Hamuul is not entirely convinced and even puts forward the notion that the Tauren had existed long before the Horde - and that if servitude to Garrosh continued in this manner, they could always go back to those independent roots. Baine denies this answer and states his loyalty and hope in the Horde that his father helped to shape. Regardless, the shipments of water are satisfactory, and soon enough the citizens of Durotar had ample supplies of water in their homes. However, brutal raids on several of the caravans in Mulgore draw Baine's concern, and the high chieftain leaves to observe the damage. He is disheartened to witness the slaughter wrought on by the culprits, though comes to the conclusion that it was the work of the quilboar - better armed than ever before. Baine believes that negotiation may be possible with their new leadership at this late juncture, though Garrosh learns of this and insists the murderers be dealt with in force. Baine's advisers have similar opinions and urge the high chieftain to sanction a deposition of their new leadership in retaliation of their violent raids and harassment of Tauren land. However, Baine declines this plan, citing that such coarse action is Garrosh's way - not his. Baine instead resolves to continue working towards diplomatic measures, and find another compromise; though his advisers remind him of the quilboar's consistently brutal nature. Several of the tauren begin to express dissatisfaction with Baine's compromising attitude with Garrosh. Viewing his willingness to bow down to every demand made of him as an affront to their peoples' interests, they consider walking away from the Horde. Meanwhile, Baine continues relentlessly to find the answers to the quilboar issue. He looks to Hamuul for guidance, and the archdruid instructs him to commune with the shamans in addition to the druids to find the answer. Baine later finds himself dealing with yet another troublesome issue - several tauren preparing to leave both Mulgore and the Horde, led by Greyhoof Farwanderer; disheartened that Mulgore has become simply an extension of Garrosh's will. Despite Baine's encouragement to remain loyal to the Horde, referencing it as being far more than its leaders; an enduring and unifying concept that Thrall and Cairne helped shape. Baine reasons that given the chance, these problems will be overcome and the Horde will be saved from both its external enemies and internal strife; though the Wanderers prepare for their journey either way. In the face of these disheartening events, Baine finally receives some good news from Hamuul in regards to the quilboar. They conclude that the source of their renewed unrest is also that of water; the recent cataclysm having cut off the quilboar's own sources. Baine and Hamuul personally inform Garrosh of this, though the warchief grows highly irritated after learning of yet another attack on tauren land that had gone unpunished. After an insulting exchange over the nature of the Earth Mother and Baine's continued passivity in regards to the savage quilboar assaulting Horde territory, Garrosh assures him that something realistic will be done about this problem, and quickly. Garrosh later steams ahead with an attack on the quilboar without telling the tauren, though they do find out about it and Baine hurriedly arms himself and his Sunwalkers to save the Warchief from his own recklessness. Baine finds himself doubting his leadership capabilities in the face of this constant turmoil. He receives the unlikely support of Hamuul, who reassures him that his decisions for the good of their people are just and noble. In Mulgore below, Garrosh and a regiment of Kor'kron prepare their assault on the quilboar. Gorehowl in hand, Garrosh, and the expert Kor'kron make quick and ruthless work of the quilboar in their tunnels. However, an ambush launched by hundreds of the beasts has the Kor'kron regiment literally swarmed over; Garrosh himself disarmed and backed into a corner. As he prepared to fight to the death, Baine, Hamuul and the Sunwalkers arrive to relieve the battle. Baine succeeded in repelling the ambush with his equally skilled use of Fearbreaker and helped the warchief reclaim Gorehowl. The Horde forces retreat, and Hamuul demonstrates the power of the Earth Mother to Garrosh as he calls upon a river. Baine stands over the defeated quilboar, and instructs them that this river will provide them with all the water they need - providing no more attacks are made on the tauren people. The quilboar anxiously return to their tunnels. Baine informs a silent Garrosh that if the tauren need further assistance in Mulgore, they will let him know; and the warchief travels back to Orgrimmar via zeppelin. Baine is approached by Greyhoof Farwanderer and the tauren that had prepared to leave Mulgore prior. Having witnessed Baine's victory over the quilboar, they apologize for doubting the high chieftain's ability to lead and request a pardon for this rash action. Baine grants it and urges them to remain strong and steadfast in these trying times for the good of their people. Looking upon his land as night falls, Baine turns to his guests and reaffirms his belief in the Horde - that his father had promised to repay a great debt to it, and that he will deliver it. Cataclysm As the leader of the tauren, he faces the troubles of Mulgore. With the help of young tauren, he kills Orno Grimtotem. When the Camp Taurajo fell, Baine had a gate separating the Barrens and Mulgore constructed. His tauren agreed with him but some wanted to attack the Alliance. Baine had these tauren expelled from Thunder Bluff. Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War When the Warchief issued a call for the other leaders of the Horde to gather for a meeting in Orgrimmar, Baine answered the summons despite not feeling right within the "new Orgrimmar." Upon arriving he exchanged a nod with Lor'themar Theron, engaged small talk with Trade Prince Jastor Gallywix, and was greeted by Eitrigg who informed Baine that he did not like the topic of the meeting. When Hellscream arrived, after keeping the others waiting, he revealed his plan to scour Theramore from the continent and stunt the Alliance's military presence. Furthermore, with the threat of reinforcements from the south removed, Garrosh intends for the Horde to gain control of territory belonging to the night elves. When Sylvanas Windrunner objected to the plan, proclaiming that though the Alliance would be unable to attack the Horde on Kalimdor, they would then turn their attention north: towards the forsaken and the blood elves. When Lor'themar remained silent, Baine found himself feeling for Sylvanas, as she was hoping for support from someone who would be reasonable and was receiving none. When Eitrigg asked to voice his opinion on the matter, Garrosh mentioned he already heard his opinion. However, Baine pointed out that they had not and in response, Garrosh grudgingly allowed for the adviser to speak. While sharing his opinion, Eitrigg found himself being cut off by Gallywix who proclaimed that there would be no costs and that he was only hearing talk of profit. In anger of the goblin's quip about the blood of foes and allies being spilled for profit, Baine found he could no longer be silent. Baine angrily told Garrosh that Jaina Proudmoore did not deserve such treatment and how she had helped him when others of the Horde had not. In response, Garrosh told Baine to be silent unless he wished to share the same fate as his father. In response, Baine asked if that meant dying betrayed. When Garrosh roared in fury Hamuul Runetotem stepped forward to protect Baine as did Eitrigg, though at the same time Malkorok, a Blackrock Orc, and Garrosh's new bodyguard did the same for Garrosh. After ordering Malkorok to back down Hellscream leaned into Baine's face and asked him if his loyalties were with the Alliance who had killed his people, or him and the Horde. In response, Baine calmly stated that if he were ever to leave the Horde he would have done so before this moment, a reference to Cairne's death and Garrosh's decision to not get involved during the battle between Magatha and Baine for control of Thunder Bluff. For a second Baine noticed that an expression of shame crossed the Warchief's face before it swiftly vanished. Soon afterward the meeting ended with Garrosh declaring that the Horde will move on to Northwatch Hold, then Theramore and any Alliance response would be dealt with swiftly. After the meeting, Baine and Chieftain Vol'jin of the Darkspear Tribe had a short conversation. Baine learned that Malkorok and other Blackrock orcs were allowed to join the Horde. When Baine showed his displeasure of Garrosh letting a Blackrock Clan orc and a former servant of Rend Blackhand into the Horde, Vol'jin pointed out that he let members of the Grimtotem clan into the Horde. When Baine responded that he supposed that he thought better of tauren over orcs these days, Vol'jin comments that in these days he did too. When it was time to begin the invasion, Baine leads his Tauren forces from the Great Gate and then joined up with Vol'jin and his Darkspear forces. Baine then co-led the combined Tauren and Darkspear army as it marched from the Gate to Northwatch, killing any Alliance that got in their way. As the Horde armies engaged the forces of Northwatch, Garrosh ordered his dark shaman to summon molten giants. Not understanding exactly what Garrosh's shaman had summoned, Baine asked Kador Cloudsong and was informed by the outraged shaman that Garrosh had called forth and enslaved molten giants, an act that was declared forbidden by the Earthen Ring. After witnessing the elementals smashing against whoever got in their way, Baine called for his forces to retreat, unwilling to let any of them come to harm from the fearsome fire elementals. After Northwatch fell to the might of the Horde and witnessing the molten giants being banished, Baine confronted Garrosh. As the argument between them got heated, Malkorok got in Baine's face and challenged him to a mak'gora. In response Baine ignored Malkorok; only mentioning that he had lost too many braves and had no desire to see more Horde lives lost. Turning to Garrosh, Baine mentioned he was only concerned about what may come and was subsequently told that his concern was noted but unwarranted by Garrosh. Baine was further told that Garrosh had plans and when they reached their conclusion he would gladly accept Baine's apology but until then, Garrosh did not wish to hear any more of Baine's concerns. While returning to his base camp nearby, Baine ordered his forces to attend to the body of the fallen. He further ordered that his people not desecrate any of the fallen alliance soldiers, reflecting that the Earth Mother loved all her children. Alone within his tent, Baine found himself reflecting upon Garrosh's thoughtless, heedless, and selfish manipulation of the elements for personal glory. His conclusion made him decide on one course of action. Taking care not to be noticed by any eyes and ears open to Hellscream, he ordered Perith Stormhoof to come before him. Baine ordered Stormhoof to warn Jaina Proudmoore of the Horde attack on Theramore and requested that Fearbreaker is given back to its former owner, remarking that he felt that he no longer deserved to wield the weapon due to his part in Northwatch's fall. In the days that followed their victory, members of the Horde(most notably Baine, Vol'jin, Kelantir Bloodblade, Frandis Farley grew frustrated and confused with Garrosh's decision to remain at Northwatch instead of pressing the attack; as Theramore was having enough time to gather reinforcements that would make the conquest of Theramore even harder. With Garrosh refusing to see anyone, Baine and the others had a secret meeting to discuss exactly what the Warchief was thinking. However, treachery from within tipped Garrosh of the meeting. It wasn't until Vol'jin voiced the concern that the enslaved elements could lead to the elements themselves taking arms against the Horde, that it was discovered they were being watched. When Garrosh showed his disbelief at the knowledge that the meeting was true, Baine pointed out no one had chanted "Death to Garrosh". All they did was question, however, Malkorok told them that questioning the Warchief was questioning the Horde. Baine retorted that logic only worked if one believes that two plus two equaled five and further mentioned that the meeting only happened because Garrosh refused to see anyone but Malkorok. In turn, Garrosh said he did not need to answer to anyone and they will wait until he commands them to march. When told by Hamuul that Thrall would have seen them, Garrosh, while pointing at his own brown skin, asked if this looked like the green skin of Thrall. Baine noticed that Garrosh appeared modified upon Hamuul's declaration that no one would ever mistake Garrosh for Thrall and Malkorok narrowed his eyes. While being eyed by Garrosh, the orc stated that he understood that both Baine and Vol'jin were loyal to Horde in their own way and then ordered everyone to return to their encampments. When Baine realized that word did not reach Garrosh or Malkorok of Perith Stormhoof's mission he breathed a sigh of relief. Immediately afterward, Baine realized that while he needed Garrosh's goodwill, Garrosh, in turn, needed Baine's. Due to Baine being a known moderate, a large number of Horde would go his way. After taking a moment to contemplate the revelation, Baine journeyed back to his tent. As he was heading towards his encampment he remarked that he badly needed to purify himself with the clean scent of sage smoke, for he always felt sullied every time he acquiesced to Garrosh's commands. Later on, Vol'jin and Baine were granted a meeting with Garrosh and both noticed that Malkorok was also present. The three leaders of the Horde had a polite conversation before Baine began to address his concerns and questioned Garrosh why it seemed he only listened to the Blackrock orc. After witnessing Malkorok being told to stand down, Garrosh mentions he had orders for the fleet while turning to Baine and Vol'jin. Feeling hopeful that Garrosh was either beginning the attack on Theramore or letting them in on his plan, both the troll and tauren were stunned when Garrosh's order was for the fleet to withdraw. As they left to carry out his order, Baine told Garrosh he hoped a Horde would be left after this debacle. As they were leaving the Darkspear and Tauren leaders heard loud laughter from both their Warchief and his bodyguard. When Garrosh finally began the attack on Theramore, Baine not only led his tauren in battle but was chosen along with Vol'jin to be a part of Garrosh's personal attack force on Theramore's North Gate. During the siege, Baine became locked in battle with Theramore's spymaster and Jaina's bodyguard: the night elf Pained. Proving to be a fearsome opponent, Pained kept Baine on his toes and his eyes upon the ear. When Vol'jin made his way over to him, and Garrosh who was nearby, to inform them that a dragon, Kalecgos, was not only aiding in the defense of Theramore but was also trying to trap the Horde forces in order to prevent any possible retreat. After receiving this information, Garrosh ordered a retreat and Baine stayed behind to ensure that more Horde soldiers would be able to follow the retreat. Though when Garrosh told Baine to retreat as he did not wish to mount a rescue mission for himself, Baine growled and swung his mace, knocking Pained to the ground and quickly retreated from the battlefield. With the battle for Theramore seemingly lost, Baine angrily marched to Garrosh as he gazed at Theramore from the bridge of Dustwallow Bay, and threw a cloth with blood on it at his face. In response to Garrosh's growl, Baine noted that the blood of the slain tauren was a more fitting decoration that his tattoos. To Baine's confusion, Garrosh merely laughed, calling him a stupid beast, and then pointed upward. It was then that the truth about the attack on Theramore was revealed. The attack was never meant to destroy the stronghold; it was meant to weaken and gather high ranking leaders of the Alliance, such as Shandris Feathermoon and General Marcus Jonathan, together for one reason: so a mana bomb could not only destroy the city but kill all those who came to its defense. A move that Garrosh claimed would weaken the Alliance. Shortly afterward the gathered Horde forces bore witness to the mana bomb destroying Theramore, to the cheers of many and the disgust and outrage of others, with Baine being among the later. As he witnessed the destruction of Theramore, Baine asked to himself of where was the orc who had executed Overlord Krom'gar for murdering countless innocent druids, and once stating that honor should not be abandoned no matter how dire a battle, had gone. While Garrosh and many of the Horde celebrated in Orgrimmar, Baine, Vol'jin, Kelantir Bloodblade, Frandis Farley and some Horde members consisting of Tauren, Sin'dorei, and Forsaken gathered at the inn at Razor Hill in silent protest. Malkorok and his Kor'kron later blew up the inn, killing those inside like Bloodblade and Farley who had questioned and badmouthed the Warchief, and dubbed it an "accident". While Baine's thought of the "accident" is unknown, it is presumed that he, not unlike Vol'jin, does not believe it. Following the Alliance counter-attack on Orgrimmar, where the Alliance fleet was pushed back and the Horde controlled Kraken slain, Baine along Vol'jin, Garrosh, and Malkorok learned that Northwatch was retaken. They further learned from one of Baine's Longwalkers that the Alliance fleet was en route to destroy the Horde blockade which was created in the wake of Theramore's destruction. Baine then bore witness to Garrosh ordering the coastal blockade of Kalimdor to fall back. The young Bloodhoof finds himself pleased with this decision, viewing it as Garrosh giving up on his conquest of Kalimdor. However, when he goes to commend Hellscream, he learns that Garrosh has changed his plans: instead of expelling the Alliance from Kalimdor, Garrosh now aims to wage a war of total genocide. In response, Baine calmly tells him that he and his tauren are now returning to Thunder Bluff and that should Garrosh want the continued support of Baine Bloodhoof, another Theramore must never happen. Garrosh merely gives Baine a slight smirk he can't interpret and tells him that the declaration is "duly noted." As Baine leaves his eyes connect with Vol'jin who gives him a sad glance and a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. In turn, Baine nods his head showing Vol'jin that he understands Vol'jin's desire to protect his people. As Baine and his tauren returned to Mulgore, Baine couldn't help but wonder if Garrosh was mad with power or just simply mad. Mists of Pandaria Baine had dreams of a valley, golden with blossoms, filled with the hope of peace and ordered Sunwalker Dezco and his Dawnchaser tribe to sail into uncharted waters near Pandaria in search of it. Landfall Baine has journeyed to Pandaria and is keeping a close eye on Hellscream. When Garrosh's orcs were unable to the master the Sha energies Hellscream imbued them with, Baine ordered General Nazgrim to send for loyal champions of the Horde who are capable of combat and discretion to knock the sha infused orcs back to their senses. Baine sends a message to Vol'jin and informs him of what has occurred. After hearing the rumblings of dissent and worry from his fellow Tauren, Baine decides to remain on Pandaria in order to ensure that things don't get out of hand. While Baine is confident that he can stay close to Hellscream, Vol'jin remains worried about his safety and secretly tells champions of the Horde to watch out for Baine. Baine later travels with Garrosh to the Kun-Lai Summit and sets up the outpost Garrosh'ar Advance just east of One Keg. With the Mogu warlord, Shan Kien, refusing to tell Hellscream where the Divine Bell is, Ishi is ordered to draw his blade. Seeing this, Baine steps in and offers another solution; one without bloodshed. By using an ancient Pandaren tincture that recalls memories which he learned in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, Baine has Horde heroes look into Shan Kien's past. Upon retrieving knowledge of where the Divine Bell is hidden, adventurers return to report the location the Baine. Baine remarks the Horde will look for the cave and when it is found they will be called upon again. The Thunder King When Baine learned about the Garrosh attack on Anduin, he was distressed. Escalation Having heard of the Darkspear Rebellion taking place, Baine traveled to Razor Hill, arriving there just after a battle between the Darkspear forces and the Kor'kron. Here, he found that Vol'jin had survived the assassination attempt by Garrosh's men in Pandaria. He assured his cooperation to the troll chief, but since many tauren were still inside Orgrimmar, he needed to plan it out very carefully, to prevent them from being harmed. He also mentioned that Garrosh had turned the city into a fortress and that it would be wise to seek other allies "beyond the Horde". He sent Abrogar Dusthoof to Shrine of Two Moons in order to keep an eye on the events of the Vale. Siege of Orgrimmar Baine and Vol'jin have moved inside Razor Hill, where their forces (Thunder Bluff Warriors and Darkspear Headhunters) were also arriving. The two leaders discussed the current situation of their army approaching by the sea and about Garrosh. During the Siege of Orgrimmar, Vol'jin's Rebellion secured the lion's share of Durotar with its forces now at the gates of Orgrimmar. Baine and Vol'jin faced off with General Nazgrim, who unleashed the Iron Juggernaut against them. After its defeat, Tyrande Whisperwind secured the entrance to Orgrimmar and told Vol'jin and Baine to go ahead while she held the line. Baine with a team of Horde members is then seen in the Underhold battling against the Kor'kron orcs. Baine is present along with the rest of the Horde's leadership (barring Ji Firepaw, who was injured earlier in the siege) at the defeat and arrest of Garrosh. When Thrall names Vol'jin the new Warchief, Baine kneels in respect. War Crimes Following the Siege of Orgrimmar, the leaders of the Horde travel to the Temple of the White Tiger to witness the fate of Garrosh Hellscream. However, the August Celestials decided not to mete out judgment unto Hellscream among themselves and instead chose to hold a trial involving the Alliance and the Horde. Warchief Vol'jin, with the approval of other Horde leaders, save Sylvanas Windrunner, chose Baine to play the role of the defender during the trial of Garrosh Hellscream. After meeting with the spirit of his father, Baine agreed to defend Garrosh to the best of his abilities. Baine played his role as defender opposite Tyrande Whisperwind and performed his role well. Notably, he refused to pull punches on fellow leaders of the Horde. He pointed out that Vol'jin may have caused Hellscream to see the trolls as traitors with his words and actions on the Echo Isles and got Go'el to admit that, despite almost killing the Warchief at the Siege of Orgrimmar, he would spare his life given the chance again. At one point, Baine's ability to defend Hellscream was brought into question as Whisperwind revealed his past dealings with Jaina Proudmoore and Anduin Wrynn. Despite this, Hellscream, who previously described Baine as making his last days "entertaining", elected to keep the High Chieftain as his defender to the surprise of the entire court. Ultimately, Baine explained his reasons for defending Hellscream so fiercely in his closing statement. He concluded that, while alive, decisions can still be made and people may yet change, Garrosh Hellscream included. Hellscream undermined this statement by proclaiming that, after everything he had done and all the lives he'd ruined, with full knowledge of the people he'd harmed in his bloodthirsty path of warfare, he regretted nothing. During Hellscream's escape, Baine battled a version of himself from an alternate time. This alternate Baine slew Hellscream after Cairne's death by tearing him apart with his hands, taking the mantle of Warchief for himself. During the fight, Baine became frustrated at the August Celestials staying out of the chaos surrounding them. It was then that the Celestials proclaimed to the combatants "Remember the sha", leading Baine to realize that he couldn't fight this alternate version of himself, but had to accept him. Baine accomplished this after reminding his alternate self about the wisdom of their fathers, after which the alternate Baine returned to his own timeline. In the aftermath, Baine was among the leaders of both factions watching as Jaina Proudmoore was healed from her fatal wound by Chi-Ji the Red Crane standing alongside Tyrande Whisperwind. Legion Baine was present at the Broken Shore alongside Sylvanas Windrunner battling through the armies of demons. After the Horde escaped from the isle, he witnessed the death of Vol'jin in Grommash Hold and was present at his funeral ceremony where he fought against Felblade Assassins. Baine, accompanied by braves, participated in the Orgrimmar parade led by Warchief Sylvanas. He joined her at the Valley of Wisdom. At a dinner celebrating the Legion's defeat, Baine gave a speech about celebration despite their losses. He and Saurfang expressed distrust towards Gallywix as he went to speak with Sylvanas privately about a mysterious new substance. When Baine told Saurfang that Gallywix had been sending many of his goblins to Silithus, Saurfang angrily stated that nothing good ever came from Silithus. Before the Storm Baine Bloodhoof later set up a meeting between Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner and Magni Bronzebeard in Thunderbluff. Magni had asked Sylvanas to remove the Bilgewater Cartel goblins from Silithus and attempted to recruit the Horde healers in the mission to restore Azeroth from Sargeras' destruction. Sylvanas tasked Baine to organize the Horde's response in the healing efforts, but she prohibited cooperation with the Alliance and ordered Baine to cease all contact with King Anduin Wrynn. Much to the objections of the other Horde races, Sylvanas also chose to maintain Gallywix's Azerite mining operations and investigations, citing its research to be invaluable to the Horde's efforts and that she will divulge the research when the moment was right. Later on, Baine wrote a letter to Anduin which stated that Sylvanas had learned of their correspondence and had pressured him into cutting off all contact with him. Baine also gifted Anduin a small piece of his horn to serve as a memento of their friendship and also expressed his hopes that one day, they may resume their friendship without being impacted by divisive politics. Highmountain Tauren He later traveled to the Orgrimmar Embassy with the other leaders. When Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner called for new Horde recruits to counter the Alliance's recruitment initiative and to replenish their ranks, Baine proposed recruiting the Highmountain Tauren and planned to recruit them during a feast between their two peoples. After Warchief Sylvanas gave her endorsement, Baine and the Horde champion set off to greet Chieftain Mayla Highmountain and her entourage at Thunder Bluff. However, Spiritwalker Ebonhorn was tormented by the Old Gods' forces of Uul'gyneth attempting to corrupt him, and he and Mayla were forced to retreat back to Thunder Totem while Baine and the Horde champion defended Thunder Bluff from Uul'gyneth's invasion force. Apparently, the wards Ebonhorn had been maintaining in Highmountain weakened just enough to let the Darkness seep through. Later on, Baine and the Horde champion traveled to Thunder Totem to offer their aid to mend Ebonhorn, who has been fighting unconsciously to keep a darkness from consuming him. Mayla sent the Horde champion to Spiritwalker Graysky, who has the Horde champion undergo Spiritwalker rituals to walk in the memories of Igrul the Scalebane, Oenia Skyhorn, and Huln Highmountain in order to restore the wards that kept the dark corrupting forces at bay. After restoring the wards, Ebonhorn regained consciousness and revealed Uul'gyneth sought to return and conquer Highmountain. Baine, Mayla, the Horde champion, and Ebonhorn left to join Lasan Skyhorn, Aviash, and Jale Rivermane at Highmountain Summit to thwart the Necrodark's ritual to incarnate Uul'gyneth and restore the final ward. They failed however, and Uul'gyneth was summoned into the physical realm, leaving the Horde champion little choice but to vanquish Uul'gyneth the Darkness. After the battle, Baine was surprised to see Ebonhorn revealing his true form as the black dragon Ebyssian, but he agreed to keep his identity a secret. Mayla in turn expressed her gratitude for rescuing her people from the Old Gods. Impressed by the strength and courage of the Horde, Mayla and Baine traveled to Orgrimmar to pledge the Highmountain tauren to the Horde. A Good War When Varok Saurfang led the Horde's army through the Northern Barrens, publicly to head to Silithus but truthfully to launch an invasion of Ashenvale, Baine caught up with the High Overlord and asked about his mission. Varok didn't know how, but Baine's tone of voice implied that he knew something of the real plan, and Saurfang told himself that he needed to stop underestimating Cairne's son. Baine stated that most in the Horde, including himself, didn't understand the goal of the mission or why it must be done now. Saurfang replied that there was an opportunity, there was danger on the horizon, and it would be best to deal with it quickly. When Saurfang said that the plan was his own and not Sylvanas', Baine seemed relieved and wished Saurfang luck on his mission. Battle for Azeroth Baine participated in the Battle for Lordaeron. He was furious that Sylvanas simply let Saurfang behind to the mercy of the Alliance, but when Sylvanas gave him the option of going outside to die or to tend to the living, Baine chose the latter saying "For the Horde." with an angry tone. He left the throne room before the blight was released in the city. After the Horde began trying to get the Zandalari trolls to lend them their navy, Baine traveled to Zuldazar to ensure that the Horde did not lose sight of what defined them and what made them strong. Category:Characters Category:Tauren Category:New Horde Category:Warriors Category:Bloodhoof Tribe